coast2coast

June 28 marked the day that Fete dela Musique Cebu launched it’s seven pocket stages. I had the pleasure of covering the Unity Heavy Stage that featured various metal and hardcore heavyweights, namely Milkmus, Interstate, Flowr, Pulsing Chunky, Shuffled, Shvriken, Stab, The Rising Tide, Awkward Dancer, and Roughands. As someone who greatly enjoys and eagerly awaits heavy and intense musical performances, I was glad to have had the opportunity to cover this event from Fete dela Musique Cebu. Many of the local talents I was familiar with from the lineup have proven to be extremely thrilling to see perform and the few I had not seen before also had me excited to see what they had to offer.

Tumultuous unity

Kicking off the performance was beloved shoegaze four-piece Milkmus. During this time, there weren’t a lot of people in the audience yet but the crowd was nonetheless captivated by their performance. The band’s heavy and cacophonous medley of tunes made for a very enveloping experience that set the mood for the rest of the night nicely. Having familiarized myself with them somewhat thanks to prior gigs, I can say that they delivered a very strong opening performance that I and the rest of the audience thoroughly enjoyed. While Milkmus was not the heaviest or most intense band in the lineup, the band proved that there is more to an entertaining musical performance than just heaviness and noise. The band had a lot of heart and passion poured in their performance and that was what made them such an effective opening act.

Up next was Danao-based post-hardcore outfit Interstate. Prior to the reveal of the lineup, I had never seen or heard of them before which made me interested to see what they had to offer. After watching their performance, I can say that they offered a series of thrilling jams and then some. I was surprised to find that the band’s music was heavily synthesizer-driven and melodic because such a style was alien to me when it came to more intense gigs. However, that aspect of the band’s music gave them a distinct and recognizable flair from the rest of the lineup. The frontwoman’s melodic bellows added to their stylistic flair, as every time she sang, I couldn’t help but feel drawn in and magnetized by her voice. What’s more, she had a penchant for sharing the stage as she got the guitarist and vocalist of Milkmus to take the mic and sing one of their songs. It’s something that is always delightful to see, as it shows that the bands are open to sharing the spotlight and allowing the audience to express themselves alongside the band if they wanted to.

Bringing the show back to the shoegaze lane was Flowr. Much like Milkmus, the band delivered a series of noisy tunes drenched in effects and feedback. However, Flowr also threw in a few low-key and subtle songs in the mix, giving their performance a sense of variety and offered the crowd a bit of reprieve in between the noise. The serene and blissful vocals served as an alluring contrast to the cacophonous wall of noise and feedback from the band’s music, making their music noticeably more distinctly tranquil compared to Milkmus, despite being equally noisy at times. Between both bands, I can say that shoegaze remains to be a staple in the local music scene for a good reason and I genuinely hope it will stay that way for the foreseeable future.

Switching things up again was Iloilo-based pop punk band Pulsing Chunky. As someone who listened to a fair bit of pop punk back in the day, their tunes instilled a sense of nostalgia. The band’s enthusiastic stage presence fit their equally energetic tunes perfectly, with the frontman jumping and prancing around whilst singing his heart out. Similar to Interstate, the frontman had a knack for engaging with the audience as he asked for someone in the audience who wanted to take the mic and sing Fall Out Boy’s “Sugar, We’re Going Down”. While no one volunteered, it was still a very thrilling and entertaining cover that got many in the crowd singing along. All in all, I found Pulsing Chunky’s performance to be quite the delight, especially because I seldom get to see a pop punk band perform in gigs lately.

Up next were local alt-rock veterans Shuffled. When I found out that they had been around for more than a decade, I was interested to see what they had to bring to the table, especially since I had never seen them before. The band delivered a series of anthemic tunes that were easy to sing along to. In fact, I would say that their sound was very reminiscent of the 2000s post-hardcore I listened to, which was no surprise considering that they’ve been in the music scene longer than most of the bands in the lineup. Thankfully, the style that Shuffled brought to the table did not sound flat or tired, as all of them played with passion and gusto which helped them swoon the crowd with ease. If ever I am in the mood for a 2000s throwback performance in Cebu, I hope to see Shuffled perform as they were able to deliver a highly thrilling performance that night with just the right dash of nostalgia.

The next band was one that I was a lot more familiar with, and that was the highly acclaimed local metal outfit Shvriken. Having seen them live before, I was eagerly looking forward to their performance the most out of all the other bands. This was in large part thanks to their Japanese-themed getup featuring oni masks, as well as their blistering and energetic metal jams. While the band was preparing for their performance, a menacing backing track with Japanese instrumentation played which got me and the crowd hyped up. The wait felt agonizing as I had continued to build up the energy to let loose and mosh wildly. Finally, the band ensued their performance and everyone was immediately drawn into the intense performance and started to headbang and mosh wildly, myself included. The highlight of their performance was easily when the frontman made the crowd spread out to open up a wide mosh pit while the song being performed was building up in intensity. Once the song hit its climax and the frontman gave the signal, all hell broke loose and a barrage of moshers flooded in the pit. The intensity of the experience was so palpable and visceral that I can simply feel it by reminiscing on it. With all of that said, I can confidently say that Shvriken’s performance was nothing short of fantastic and it is no surprise why they have garnered attention and praise both inside and out of the Philippines.

Continuing the intense and fierce momentum set was the beloved local female-fronted hardcore outfit Stab. Without a doubt one of the most recognized names in the lineup, their brand of razor-sharp and hard-hitting punk jams have allowed them to remain a staple in Cebu’s hardcore scene. Their performance that night further proved that they continue to be a force to be reckoned with and can still deliver the goods. Much like Shvriken, much of the crowd was driven to mosh and thrash around wildly to their performance, myself included. However, unlike Shvriken, the intensity Stab’s music brought to the table was more unbridled and chaotic, with the crowd moshing and circling around the pit much more uncontrollably. There was no lengthy buildup or anticipation before their breakdowns, as they hit almost immediately which led the audience to follow suit to the music however they wanted. Once again, Stab has showcased that they can effortlessly and effectively evoke intense physical expressions and actions in the crowd with their performances, and I hope to see more of them in the near future.

After two extremely intense and fiery performances, a cooldown was more than welcome for the crowd. Thankfully, the next band, The Rising Tide, was able to deliver that while simultaneously dishing out a highly catchy and anthemic performance. Having seen them once live at a show in University of the Philippines – Cebu, I had an idea what to expect and I am happy to report that the band delivered a thrilling performance like before. The indie rock quartet was able to keep the crowd engaged with their menagerie of heartfelt and passionate tunes. What’s more, the frontman’s expressive movements and charismatic stage presence helped elevate the impact that the band’s performance already had. Having only seen them twice now, I can say that The Rising Tide is an exciting act that I wish to see more of when I can.

Up next was a local favorite of mine as well as the younger crowd, Awkward Dancer. While I have seen them multiple times already in the past, I still continue to look forward to their performances for their impeccable sense of melody and groove, as well as their incredibly catchy choruses. Their performance that night was no different, with the band locking in and dishing out sharp and memorable melodies that urged the crowd to sing along. In the middle of their performance, however, a technical issue occurred which was one of the guitarists’ strings broke and there was no replacement. Thankfully, the band had experience with such mishaps so they knew exactly how to handle the situation. While one of the other performers was helping restring the guitar, the band decided to play a cover of El Scorcho by Weezer. I was caught off-guard upon hearing the opening drum fill and couldn’t help but laugh due to how surprised I was. I thoroughly enjoyed the band’s cover of the song and, along with other people familiar with the song, sang heartily to it. Afterwards, the guitar was restrung and the band was back on track with the rest of their performance, which consisted of a lot of moshing from the younger crowd and a lot of passionate singing along. Thanks to their performance and improvisational prowess, Awkward Dancer has proven once again that they know how to keep a crowd pleased with their music and enthusiasm.

Finally, Unity Heavy Stage wrapped up with a closing performance from the relatively new local post-hardcore outfit Roughands. The band is essentially a supergroup that consists of musicians who have performed in numerous other bands, including the aforementioned Flowr, The Rising Tide, as well as local hardcore band Septhis. As of the moment, Roughands have only released their debut single “Burning Circles” a few months ago, which they performed extremely passionately. On top of that, the band performed a series of covers of incredibly popular songs, including Deftones’ “Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)” and Turnstile’s “Blackout”. Being a fan of those songs, I sang my heart out along to those covers and enjoyed hearing them performed in a live setting. While the band has yet to offer more original material, I am still looking forward to seeing them perform again as they made for a highly enjoyable closing act.

Fete dela Musique Cebu has turned out to be a massive success once again thanks to their pocket stages. While I’m sure that the other stages were exciting in their own right, I would confidently bet that none of them reached the level of intensity and blissful chaos that the Unity Heavy Stage did. Every act gave their all with their performances and did not fail to sway and captivate the audience, including myself. On top of that, the diverse array and sounds that each band offered ensured that the show’s lineup would not feel monotonous whatsoever. I am so glad to have had the privilege of covering the Unity Heavy Stage for Fete dela Musique Cebu and I am looking forward to what the French music festival has to offer in Cebu in the following years.